Rectory Field
Encyclopedia
Rectory Field is a playing field in Blackheath, London
. It was developed in the 1880s by Blackheath Cricket, Football and Lawn Tennis Company and became the home of Kent County Cricket Club
and rugby union
team Blackheath F.C.. It is of historical importance as a sporting venue hosting many international rugby games; at one time, along with the Richmond Athletic Ground, it was the unofficial home of the England national rugby union team
before the development of Twickenham
. The field is named after the Charlton Rectory that once stood at the site.
. Before the adoption of the Rectory Field, sport had been played on the Blackheath grounds, or Heath, for many years prior. Blackheath Football Club played on the Heath from 1871, but as the popularity of the sport grew, the games began attracting crowds. After a match with Richmond was abandoned in 1877, due to a pitch invasion; the club decided to adopt a proper demarked ground. One of the club members, Maurice Henry Richardson, knew of a part of the heath that was owned by his father, and the club rented this part of the park for their matches. The pitch become known as Richardson's Field, and this playing ground hosted several internationals, including the first rugby match between England
and Wales
in 1881
.
Richardson's field was bought for commercial use in 1882/83, and the team were forced to find a new ground. Blackheath rugby club captain, Lennard Stokes
, who also captained his country on five occasions, located a new ground for the club, just east of the old Richardson Field on the Charlton Road. This location was a five acre plot, which would become the Rectory Field; and in 1883 Blackheath F.C. played their first game on the pitch against Guy's Hospital
. During the same period, cricket had been played on the Heath by several teams, many informal, but by 1885 Blackheath Morden had emerged as one of the more prominent clubs. With the aid of their club secretary, Montague Druitt
, Morden negotiated the use of the Rectory Field during the summer months when rugby was not played. With several sports now using the ground, the Blackheath Cricket, Football and Lawn Tennis Company was formed to provide amenities for the players. In October 1885, Morden changed its name to Blackheath Cricket Club. The first cricket match to be played on the Rectory Field was between Blackheath and G.G. Herane's XI on 26 April 1886, with the first county game was in 1887 when Blackheath hosted Surrey
.
On 2 January 1886, Rectory Field hosted its first international rugby union match, with England facing Wales as part of the Home Nations Championship
. With England withdrawing from international rugby in late 1887, the field was not used by the national team again until the arrival of the world's first touring Southern Hemisphere rugby team, the New Zealand Māori
in 1889. England continued to use three sites for international rugby, Rectory Field, the Athletic Ground in Richmond and Whalley Range in Manchester, but after 1900, only the two London locations were used. In 1910, Twickenham became the new stadium for the England team, but not before Rectory Field was allowed one last historic international when it hosted the first touring Australian
rugby team in 1909.
When the initial lease expired, the Rectory Field was in danger of being sold for commercial development. After £9,000 was raised through debenture
s, the field was purchased in 1921, providing a permanent home for the cricket and rugby teams.
Although most sport was abandoned during the two World Wars, cricket was still played to some extent on the Rectory. During the Second World War, their ground was hit by eight bombs, one landing on the tennis hard courts; though after 1945 sport resumed on the site. Directly after the war, Richmond and Blackheath merged for a season, and several other teams were allowed the use of the grounds, including Irish exiles London Irish
. In 1972 the venue was dropped as a county cricket ground, mainly due to the poor car parking provisions.
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
. It was developed in the 1880s by Blackheath Cricket, Football and Lawn Tennis Company and became the home of Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team Blackheath F.C.. It is of historical importance as a sporting venue hosting many international rugby games; at one time, along with the Richmond Athletic Ground, it was the unofficial home of the England national rugby union team
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
before the development of Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
. The field is named after the Charlton Rectory that once stood at the site.
History
Located slightly away from the more recognised area of Blackheath, the Rectory Field is situated south of Greenwich ParkGreenwich Park
Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south east London. One of the Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed , it covers , and is part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site. It commands fine views over the River Thames, Isle of...
. Before the adoption of the Rectory Field, sport had been played on the Blackheath grounds, or Heath, for many years prior. Blackheath Football Club played on the Heath from 1871, but as the popularity of the sport grew, the games began attracting crowds. After a match with Richmond was abandoned in 1877, due to a pitch invasion; the club decided to adopt a proper demarked ground. One of the club members, Maurice Henry Richardson, knew of a part of the heath that was owned by his father, and the club rented this part of the park for their matches. The pitch become known as Richardson's Field, and this playing ground hosted several internationals, including the first rugby match between England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
and Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
in 1881
1880-81 Home Nations rugby union matches
The 1880-81 Home Nations rugby union matches were a series of international rugby union friendlies held between the England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales national rugby union teams. This season is most notable for the introduction of Wales as an international rugby union nation, playing their first...
.
Richardson's field was bought for commercial use in 1882/83, and the team were forced to find a new ground. Blackheath rugby club captain, Lennard Stokes
Lennard Stokes
Dr. Lennard Stokes was a rugby union international who represented England from 1875 to 1881. He also captained his country on five occasions, notably in the first ever match against Wales...
, who also captained his country on five occasions, located a new ground for the club, just east of the old Richardson Field on the Charlton Road. This location was a five acre plot, which would become the Rectory Field; and in 1883 Blackheath F.C. played their first game on the pitch against Guy's Hospital
Guy's, Kings and St. Thomas' Rugby Football Club
Guy's, Kings and St. Thomas' Rugby Football Club is the name given to the modern amalgam of three formerly distinct hospital rugby clubs each with a long history, having all been founded in the nineteenth century. The teams from Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital were the first to merge...
. During the same period, cricket had been played on the Heath by several teams, many informal, but by 1885 Blackheath Morden had emerged as one of the more prominent clubs. With the aid of their club secretary, Montague Druitt
Montague Druitt
Montague John Druitt was one of the suspects in the Jack the Ripper murders that took place in London between August and November 1888....
, Morden negotiated the use of the Rectory Field during the summer months when rugby was not played. With several sports now using the ground, the Blackheath Cricket, Football and Lawn Tennis Company was formed to provide amenities for the players. In October 1885, Morden changed its name to Blackheath Cricket Club. The first cricket match to be played on the Rectory Field was between Blackheath and G.G. Herane's XI on 26 April 1886, with the first county game was in 1887 when Blackheath hosted Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
.
On 2 January 1886, Rectory Field hosted its first international rugby union match, with England facing Wales as part of the Home Nations Championship
1886 Home Nations Championship
The 1886 Home Nations Championship was the fourth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Five matches were played between 2 January and 13 March 1886. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales...
. With England withdrawing from international rugby in late 1887, the field was not used by the national team again until the arrival of the world's first touring Southern Hemisphere rugby team, the New Zealand Māori
1888-1889 New Zealand Native football team
The 1888–1889 New Zealand Native football team was a New Zealand football team that toured Britain, Australia and New Zealand in 1888 and 1889. The team was composed mainly of players of Māori ancestry, although several Pakeha were included in the squad. The tour was a private endeavour, and was...
in 1889. England continued to use three sites for international rugby, Rectory Field, the Athletic Ground in Richmond and Whalley Range in Manchester, but after 1900, only the two London locations were used. In 1910, Twickenham became the new stadium for the England team, but not before Rectory Field was allowed one last historic international when it hosted the first touring Australian
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
rugby team in 1909.
When the initial lease expired, the Rectory Field was in danger of being sold for commercial development. After £9,000 was raised through debenture
Debenture
A debenture is a document that either creates a debt or acknowledges it. In corporate finance, the term is used for a medium- to long-term debt instrument used by large companies to borrow money. In some countries the term is used interchangeably with bond, loan stock or note...
s, the field was purchased in 1921, providing a permanent home for the cricket and rugby teams.
Although most sport was abandoned during the two World Wars, cricket was still played to some extent on the Rectory. During the Second World War, their ground was hit by eight bombs, one landing on the tennis hard courts; though after 1945 sport resumed on the site. Directly after the war, Richmond and Blackheath merged for a season, and several other teams were allowed the use of the grounds, including Irish exiles London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
. In 1972 the venue was dropped as a county cricket ground, mainly due to the poor car parking provisions.
External links
- Rectory Field Cricinfo.com